Chelyabinsk

The meteorite of Chelyabinsk is today one where we collected the most visual observations through the cameras installed in the Russian cars. These embedded systems have indeed filmed it from all angles before the fireball explosion, providing scientists with information to analyze its trajectory and to deduce its orbit. This is the 18th meteorite whose orbit has been determined.

And it is also the first time that so many people were injured (about 1,500 people), mainly by glass broken by the shock wave or by falls of various objects.

The stones were scattered on an ellipse of 65 by 6 km, from the village of Yemanzhelinsk to the southwest of Chebarkul. The biggest specimen of the fall ended its journey in the frozen lake of Chebarkul. Important work had to be used to remove it from the mud. In the hours that followed, and for months, the inhabitants of the region and also some meteorite hunters have recovered thousands of stones. At the time of the fall, a layer of 30-80 centimeters of snow covered the entire region. It was then possible to pick up quite easily the meteorites by observing holes in snow formed by impacts.

A true local market of meteorites was organized and it lasts even today, primarily through ebay. A real windfall for people who had seized on the ball and had the merit of seeking during a polar cold.

You can find an impressive report on Svend Buhl’s website www.meteorite-recon.com.